Media Expose Books | Summaries & Audio

Slanted

by Sharyl Attkisson • 2020

How newsrooms kill inconvenient stories, and the words that tell you they're doing it.

4.31

1k+

📰 Media Bias 🎭 Narrative Control 🗣️ Weaponized Language

Slanted 89%

How newsrooms kill inconvenient stories, and the words that tell you they're doing it.

by Sharyl Attkisson 2020

4.31

1k+ ratings

📰 Media Bias 🎭 Narrative Control 🗣️ Weaponized Language

Operation Hollywood

by David L. Robb • 2004

The military lent Hollywood its jets and ships, then demanded veto power over the script.

3.46

🚫 Military Censorship 📢 Propaganda Studies 🏛️ Pentagon Influence

Operation Hollywood 89%

The military lent Hollywood its jets and ships, then demanded veto power over the script.

by David L. Robb 2004

3.46

72 ratings

🚫 Military Censorship 📢 Propaganda Studies 🏛️ Pentagon Influence

Trust Me, I'm Lying

by Ryan Holiday • 2012

Blogs run on lies. A former insider shows who supplies them and why truth loses.

3.85

12k+

📰 Media Manipulation 📈 Attention Economy 🔍 Misinformation

Trust Me, I'm Lying 89%

Blogs run on lies. A former insider shows who supplies them and why truth loses.

by Ryan Holiday 2012

3.85

12k+ ratings

📰 Media Manipulation 📈 Attention Economy 🔍 Misinformation

inside tagesschau

by Alexander Teske • 2025

An insider on groupthink, ratings, and bias behind Germany’s most trusted newscast.

3.63

📰 Media Criticism 📺 Public Broadcasting 🇩🇪 German Politics

inside tagesschau 89%

An insider on groupthink, ratings, and bias behind Germany’s most trusted newscast.

by Alexander Teske 2025

3.63

97 ratings

📰 Media Criticism 📺 Public Broadcasting 🇩🇪 German Politics

The Smear

by Sharyl Attkisson • 2017

Billion-dollar industry of leaks, astroturf, and dark money controls the news. Insider shows how.

4.22

1k+

🎯 Character Assassination 📰 Media Manipulation 🤥 Fake News

The Smear 89%

Billion-dollar industry of leaks, astroturf, and dark money controls the news. Insider shows how.

by Sharyl Attkisson 2017

4.22

1k+ ratings

🎯 Character Assassination 📰 Media Manipulation 🤥 Fake News

Conspiracy

by Ryan Holiday • 2018

How a billionaire secretly plotted for ten years to kill a media company, and won.

3.96

7k+

🎙️ Media Power ⚖️ Legal Warfare 📰 Media Ethics

Conspiracy 89%

How a billionaire secretly plotted for ten years to kill a media company, and won.

by Ryan Holiday 2018

3.96

7k+ ratings

🎙️ Media Power ⚖️ Legal Warfare 📰 Media Ethics

Static

by Amy Goodman • 2006

When government lies, the press should expose it. Instead, they broadcast the script.

4.05

384

📺 Media Criticism 🌐 U.S. Foreign Policy 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Static 89%

When government lies, the press should expose it. Instead, they broadcast the script.

by Amy Goodman 2006

4.05

384 ratings

📺 Media Criticism 🌐 U.S. Foreign Policy 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Hate Inc.

by Matt Taibbi • 2019

The news isn't failing to inform you. It's succeeding at its real job: selling your outrage.

4.09

6k+

📰 Media Criticism 😡 Outrage Economy 🎭 Media Manipulation

Hate Inc. 89%

The news isn't failing to inform you. It's succeeding at its real job: selling your outrage.

by Matt Taibbi 2019

4.09

6k+ ratings

📰 Media Criticism 😡 Outrage Economy 🎭 Media Manipulation

Truth in Our Times

by David E. McCraw • 2019

A newspaper lawyer versus a president who called the press the enemy. The inside story.

4.14

609

🗽 Press Freedom ⚖️ First Amendment 🔒 Government Secrecy

Truth in Our Times 89%

A newspaper lawyer versus a president who called the press the enemy. The inside story.

by David E. McCraw 2019

4.14

609 ratings

🗽 Press Freedom ⚖️ First Amendment 🔒 Government Secrecy

Manufacturing Consent

by Edward S. Herman • 1988

Why a free press produces propaganda as reliably as a state ministry: the structural answer.

4.23

25k+

📰 Media Criticism 📢 Propaganda Studies ⚙️ Structural Bias

Manufacturing Consent 89%

Why a free press produces propaganda as reliably as a state ministry: the structural answer.

by Edward S. Herman 1988

4.23

25k+ ratings

📰 Media Criticism 📢 Propaganda Studies ⚙️ Structural Bias

National Security Cinema

by Matthew Alford • 2017

The Pentagon secretly approved or killed your favorite movies, one script at a time.

3.81

113

📢 Propaganda Studies 🎬 Military-Entertainment Complex 📺 Media Manipulation

National Security Cinema 88%

The Pentagon secretly approved or killed your favorite movies, one script at a time.

by Matthew Alford 2017

3.81

113 ratings

📢 Propaganda Studies 🎬 Military-Entertainment Complex 📺 Media Manipulation

Hard News

by Seth Mnookin • 2004

The New York Times's worst wound: how autocracy, not one fraudster, tore the newsroom apart.

3.91

274

🗞️ Media Ethics 📰 Newsroom Culture 🏛️ Institutional Failure

Hard News 88%

The New York Times's worst wound: how autocracy, not one fraudster, tore the newsroom apart.

by Seth Mnookin 2004

3.91

274 ratings

🗞️ Media Ethics 📰 Newsroom Culture 🏛️ Institutional Failure

Journalism and PR

by John Lloyd • 2014

PR is bypassing the newsroom and speaking directly to you. Journalism hasn't caught up.

3.78

📢 Public Relations 📺 Media Studies 💻 Digital Disruption

Journalism and PR 88%

PR is bypassing the newsroom and speaking directly to you. Journalism hasn't caught up.

by John Lloyd 2014

3.78

9 ratings

📢 Public Relations 📺 Media Studies 💻 Digital Disruption

Copaganda

by Alec Karakatsanis • 2025

The hidden PR system that converts police spin into headlines and crime panic into tougher laws.

4.49

582

🎥 Media Criticism ⚖️ Criminal Justice 🔒 Mass Incarceration

Copaganda 88%

The hidden PR system that converts police spin into headlines and crime panic into tougher laws.

by Alec Karakatsanis 2025

4.49

582 ratings

🎥 Media Criticism ⚖️ Criminal Justice 🔒 Mass Incarceration

You are Being Lied To

by Russ Kick • 2001

The institutions you trust most are filtering what you know. Here is how, and why.

3.87

1k+

📰 Media Criticism 📜 Hidden Histories 📢 Propaganda Studies

You are Being Lied To 88%

The institutions you trust most are filtering what you know. Here is how, and why.

by Russ Kick 2001

3.87

1k+ ratings

📰 Media Criticism 📜 Hidden Histories 📢 Propaganda Studies

Propaganda Blitz

by David Edwards • 2018

The news isn't broken. It's working exactly as designed: manufacturing consent for the powerful.

4.28

184

🧐 Media Criticism 📣 War Propaganda 🏢 Corporate Power

Propaganda Blitz 88%

The news isn't broken. It's working exactly as designed: manufacturing consent for the powerful.

by David Edwards 2018

4.28

184 ratings

🧐 Media Criticism 📣 War Propaganda 🏢 Corporate Power

Enemy of the People

by Marvin Kalb • 2018

Trump's war on the press follows a 1950s script. The democracy-saving ending is not guaranteed.

4.13

137

🇺🇸 American Democracy 📰 Press Freedom 🕵️ Mccarthyism

Enemy of the People 88%

Trump's war on the press follows a 1950s script. The democracy-saving ending is not guaranteed.

by Marvin Kalb 2018

4.13

137 ratings

🇺🇸 American Democracy 📰 Press Freedom 🕵️ Mccarthyism

United States of Distraction

by Mickey Huff • 2019

Six companies own nearly all American media. The product is a public too distracted for democracy.

3.74

114

🗞️ Media Criticism 📰 News Literacy 📡 Propaganda Studies

United States of Distraction 88%

Six companies own nearly all American media. The product is a public too distracted for democracy.

by Mickey Huff 2019

3.74

114 ratings

🗞️ Media Criticism 📰 News Literacy 📡 Propaganda Studies

The Silenced Majority

by Amy Goodman • 2012

The news decides which wars and uprisings didn't happen. Here is what they buried.

4.06

251

📻 Independent Media 📺 Media Criticism 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The Silenced Majority 88%

The news decides which wars and uprisings didn't happen. Here is what they buried.

by Amy Goodman 2012

4.06

251 ratings

📻 Independent Media 📺 Media Criticism 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The New Rulers of the World

by John Pilger • 2002

The global economy was built on mass graves. A reporter shows you who filled them.

4.14

1k+

🏴 Anti-Imperialism 🔍 Investigative Journalism 📰 Media Criticism

The New Rulers of the World 88%

The global economy was built on mass graves. A reporter shows you who filled them.

by John Pilger 2002

4.14

1k+ ratings

🏴 Anti-Imperialism 🔍 Investigative Journalism 📰 Media Criticism

You Can't Read This Book

by Nick Cohen • 2012

Censorship didn't vanish after book burnings. It learned to smile and send a legal notice.

4.08

736

🗽 Free Speech Defense 🙊 Religious Censorship 🏢 Corporate Silence

You Can't Read This Book 88%

Censorship didn't vanish after book burnings. It learned to smile and send a legal notice.

by Nick Cohen 2012

4.08

736 ratings

🗽 Free Speech Defense 🙊 Religious Censorship 🏢 Corporate Silence

Dragnet Nation

by Julia Angwin • 2014

A journalist tried to opt out of digital surveillance for a year. The system refused.

3.68

659

🛡️ Digital Surveillance 🔒 Data Privacy 👁️ Mass Surveillance

Dragnet Nation 88%

A journalist tried to opt out of digital surveillance for a year. The system refused.

by Julia Angwin 2014

3.68

659 ratings

🛡️ Digital Surveillance 🔒 Data Privacy 👁️ Mass Surveillance

Post-Truth

by Matthew d'Ancona • 2017

Truth is everywhere and irrelevant. How emotion replaced fact in public life, and the way back.

3.75

921

📺 Media Criticism 🦠 Misinformation 🕵️ Conspiracy Theories

Post-Truth 88%

Truth is everywhere and irrelevant. How emotion replaced fact in public life, and the way back.

by Matthew d'Ancona 2017

3.75

921 ratings

📺 Media Criticism 🦠 Misinformation 🕵️ Conspiracy Theories

Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV

by Emily Nussbaum • 2024

Radio confessionals, hidden cameras, and game shows: the unscrupulous origins of reality television.

3.92

11k+

📺 Reality Television 🎞️ Media History 👁️ Voyeurism

Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV Summary

Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV 88%

Radio confessionals, hidden cameras, and game shows: the unscrupulous origins of reality television.

by Emily Nussbaum 2024

3.92

11k+ ratings

📺 Reality Television 🎞️ Media History 👁️ Voyeurism

The Big Picture

by Ben Fritz • 2018

How Marvel, Netflix, and the Chinese box office dismantled the movies you used to love.

4.02

2k+

🎬 Hollywood Economics 📺 Streaming Disruption 🎥 Franchise Filmmaking

The Big Picture 88%

How Marvel, Netflix, and the Chinese box office dismantled the movies you used to love.

by Ben Fritz 2018

4.02

2k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Economics 📺 Streaming Disruption 🎥 Franchise Filmmaking

Twilight

by Mark Cotta Vaz • 2008

Behind every media empire is a family at war. Lessons in power, loyalty, and survival.

4.20

451k+

🏢 Corporate Dynasties 📺 Media Empires 💔 Family Dysfunction

Twilight 88%

Behind every media empire is a family at war. Lessons in power, loyalty, and survival.

by Mark Cotta Vaz 2008

4.20

451k+ ratings

🏢 Corporate Dynasties 📺 Media Empires 💔 Family Dysfunction

How to Stand Up to a Dictator

by Maria Ressa • 2022

How to fight back when your government weaponizes social media, from the journalist who lived it.

4.36

7k+

🗞️ Press Freedom 🔴 Disinformation ⛓️ Authoritarianism

How to Stand Up to a Dictator 88%

How to fight back when your government weaponizes social media, from the journalist who lived it.

by Maria Ressa 2022

4.36

7k+ ratings

🗞️ Press Freedom 🔴 Disinformation ⛓️ Authoritarianism

Follow the Money

by Dan Bongino • 2020

A Cambridge dinner, a monitored phone call, and the trap that felled a national security advisor.

4.36

757

🕵️ Deep State 🏛️ Political Corruption 📰 Media Bias

Follow the Money 88%

A Cambridge dinner, a monitored phone call, and the trap that felled a national security advisor.

by Dan Bongino 2020

4.36

757 ratings

🕵️ Deep State 🏛️ Political Corruption 📰 Media Bias

Echo Chamber

by Kathleen Hall Jamieson • 2008

Three outlets, one ideology, and a shared strategy for keeping their audience inside the walls.

3.41

📡 Media Ecosystems ↔️ Political Polarization 🐘 Conservative Media

Echo Chamber 88%

Three outlets, one ideology, and a shared strategy for keeping their audience inside the walls.

by Kathleen Hall Jamieson 2008

3.41

49 ratings

📡 Media Ecosystems ↔️ Political Polarization 🐘 Conservative Media

The Little Book of Campaign Etiquette

by Stephen Hess • 1998

The unwritten rules campaigns and journalists keep breaking, and the case for writing them down.

1.00

⚖️ Campaign Ethics 📰 Political Journalism 🔍 Media Bias

The Little Book of Campaign Etiquette Summary

The Little Book of Campaign Etiquette 88%

The unwritten rules campaigns and journalists keep breaking, and the case for writing them down.

by Stephen Hess 1998

1.00

1 ratings

⚖️ Campaign Ethics 📰 Political Journalism 🔍 Media Bias

Backstory

by Ken Auletta • 2003

Why America's best newspaper kept winning Pulitzers while its parent company kept losing money.

3.50

📰 News Industry 🖊️ Editorial Independence 🏛️ Press Ownership

Backstory 88%

Why America's best newspaper kept winning Pulitzers while its parent company kept losing money.

by Ken Auletta 2003

3.50

74 ratings

📰 News Industry 🖊️ Editorial Independence 🏛️ Press Ownership

The Doctor Who Fooled the World

by Brian Deer • 2020

The vaccine study that scared the world was a lie. Twelve children's medical records held the proof.

4.04

2k+

🩺 Medical Fraud 💉 Vaccine Misinformation 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The Doctor Who Fooled the World 88%

The vaccine study that scared the world was a lie. Twelve children's medical records held the proof.

by Brian Deer 2020

4.04

2k+ ratings

🩺 Medical Fraud 💉 Vaccine Misinformation 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Becoming Brigitte

by Xavier Poussard • 2025

No photos before 40. A 53% face match. France jailed the people who asked why.

4.18

281

🏛️ French Politics 📰 Political Scandal 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Becoming Brigitte 88%

No photos before 40. A 53% face match. France jailed the people who asked why.

by Xavier Poussard 2025

4.18

281 ratings

🏛️ French Politics 📰 Political Scandal 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The Long Slide

by Tucker Carlson • 2021

A reporter's thirty-year tour: magazine adventures, foreign wars, and the slow death of free speech.

4.13

2k+

📰 Political Journalism 📺 Media Criticism 🗣️ Free Speech

The Long Slide 88%

A reporter's thirty-year tour: magazine adventures, foreign wars, and the slow death of free speech.

by Tucker Carlson 2021

4.13

2k+ ratings

📰 Political Journalism 📺 Media Criticism 🗣️ Free Speech

The News

by Alain de Botton • 2014

Modern news breeds panic and distraction. A humanistic guide to staying sane amid the headlines.

3.58

3k+

📰 Media Criticism 🧠 Media Literacy ⚠️ Negativity Bias

The News 88%

Modern news breeds panic and distraction. A humanistic guide to staying sane amid the headlines.

by Alain de Botton 2014

3.58

3k+ ratings

📰 Media Criticism 🧠 Media Literacy ⚠️ Negativity Bias

Doppelganger

by Naomi Klein • 2023

Mistaken for her alt-right double, a leftist author maps the mirror world devouring our politics.

4.19

37k+

🗳️ Political Memoir 🕳️ Conspiracy Theories 🎭 Digital Identity

Doppelganger 88%

Mistaken for her alt-right double, a leftist author maps the mirror world devouring our politics.

by Naomi Klein 2023

4.19

37k+ ratings

🗳️ Political Memoir 🕳️ Conspiracy Theories 🎭 Digital Identity

Bad City

by Paul Pringle • 2022

The dean smoked meth. The doctor assaulted hundreds. The newspaper tried to bury both stories.

4.21

4k+

🏛️ University Scandals 🕵️ Institutional Coverup ⚠️ Campus Sexual Abuse

Bad City 87%

The dean smoked meth. The doctor assaulted hundreds. The newspaper tried to bury both stories.

by Paul Pringle 2022

4.21

4k+ ratings

🏛️ University Scandals 🕵️ Institutional Coverup ⚠️ Campus Sexual Abuse

The Franklin Scandal

by Nick Bryant • 2008

A credit union fronted a child-trafficking ring. The cover-up is better documented than the crime.

4.30

926

🔗 Human Trafficking 📁 Institutional Cover-Up 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The Franklin Scandal 87%

A credit union fronted a child-trafficking ring. The cover-up is better documented than the crime.

by Nick Bryant 2008

4.30

926 ratings

🔗 Human Trafficking 📁 Institutional Cover-Up 🔍 Investigative Journalism

No One Man Should Have All That Power

by Amos Barshad • 2019

Behind every pop star, president, and cartel boss, a hidden schemer pulls the strings.

3.65

185

🕵️ Hidden Manipulators 🧠 Manipulation Psychology 🎩 Political Fixers

No One Man Should Have All That Power Summary

No One Man Should Have All That Power 87%

Behind every pop star, president, and cartel boss, a hidden schemer pulls the strings.

by Amos Barshad 2019

3.65

185 ratings

🕵️ Hidden Manipulators 🧠 Manipulation Psychology 🎩 Political Fixers

The Image

by Daniel J. Boorstin • 1961

Most news is manufactured. We know it. And we still prefer the show over the real.

4.07

1k+

🎙️ Media Criticism 🎭 Manufactured Reality 🌟 Celebrity Culture

The Image 87%

Most news is manufactured. We know it. And we still prefer the show over the real.

by Daniel J. Boorstin 1961

4.07

1k+ ratings

🎙️ Media Criticism 🎭 Manufactured Reality 🌟 Celebrity Culture

The Panama Papers

by Frederik Obermaier • 2016

11.5 million documents arrived at a German newspaper, exposing the secret world of offshore wealth.

4.08

5k+

🏝️ Offshore Finance 🏛️ Political Corruption 🔍 Investigative Journalism

The Panama Papers 87%

11.5 million documents arrived at a German newspaper, exposing the secret world of offshore wealth.

by Frederik Obermaier 2016

4.08

5k+ ratings

🏝️ Offshore Finance 🏛️ Political Corruption 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Securing Democracy

by Glenn Greenwald • 2021

Brazil's judges conspired to jail a president and elect another. One leak proved it.

4.30

151

🏛️ Political Corruption 🗞️ Press Freedom 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Securing Democracy 87%

Brazil's judges conspired to jail a president and elect another. One leak proved it.

by Glenn Greenwald 2021

4.30

151 ratings

🏛️ Political Corruption 🗞️ Press Freedom 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Amusing Ourselves to Death

by Neil Postman • 1985

The real danger isn't censorship. It's a culture so entertained it forgets how to think.

4.17

39k+

🏞️ Media Ecology 📰 Media Criticism 🗳️ Political Communication

Amusing Ourselves to Death 87%

The real danger isn't censorship. It's a culture so entertained it forgets how to think.

by Neil Postman 1985

4.17

39k+ ratings

🏞️ Media Ecology 📰 Media Criticism 🗳️ Political Communication

Personal History

by Katharine Graham • 1997

Her husband's suicide left her publisher of The Washington Post. The board expected her to sell.

4.09

25k+

📰 Media Industry 🏢 Family Business ✍️ Editorial Integrity

Personal History 87%

Her husband's suicide left her publisher of The Washington Post. The board expected her to sell.

by Katharine Graham 1997

4.09

25k+ ratings

📰 Media Industry 🏢 Family Business ✍️ Editorial Integrity

Dark Alliance

by Gary Webb • 1998

The CIA's Contra army needed money. The cocaine they smuggled to get it fueled LA's crack epidemic.

4.30

2k+

🕵️ Investigative Journalism 💥 Crack Epidemic 🕶️ Covert Operations

Dark Alliance 87%

The CIA's Contra army needed money. The cocaine they smuggled to get it fueled LA's crack epidemic.

by Gary Webb 1998

4.30

2k+ ratings

🕵️ Investigative Journalism 💥 Crack Epidemic 🕶️ Covert Operations

Manufacturing Consent

by Mark Achbar • 1994

No conspiracy, no censorship: why the news in a free society still serves the powerful.

4.41

699

📖 Critical Media Studies 📊 Political Economy 🔍 Propaganda Studies

Manufacturing Consent 87%

No conspiracy, no censorship: why the news in a free society still serves the powerful.

by Mark Achbar 1994

4.41

699 ratings

📖 Critical Media Studies 📊 Political Economy 🔍 Propaganda Studies

We Are Bellingcat

by Eliot Higgins • 2021

A jobless blogger proved that public data can expose war crimes, hit squads, and missile launchers.

4.12

6k+

🗞️ Citizen Journalism 🔍 Open-Source Investigation 📱 Social Media Analysis

We Are Bellingcat 87%

A jobless blogger proved that public data can expose war crimes, hit squads, and missile launchers.

by Eliot Higgins 2021

4.12

6k+ ratings

🗞️ Citizen Journalism 🔍 Open-Source Investigation 📱 Social Media Analysis

One Nation Under Blackmail

by Whitney Alyse Webb • 2022

Seventeen White House visits. The blackmail machine that protected Jeffrey Epstein for decades.

4.42

712

🏛️ Political Corruption 🕵️ Intelligence History 🔫 Organized Crime

One Nation Under Blackmail 87%

Seventeen White House visits. The blackmail machine that protected Jeffrey Epstein for decades.

by Whitney Alyse Webb 2022

4.42

712 ratings

🏛️ Political Corruption 🕵️ Intelligence History 🔫 Organized Crime

Three Cups of Deceit

by Jon Krakauer • 2011

The humanitarian's origin story was fiction, and his charity paid for chartered jets, not schools.

3.72

12k+

🔍 Investigative Journalism 🦸 Manufactured Heroism 📺 Media Manipulation

Three Cups of Deceit 87%

The humanitarian's origin story was fiction, and his charity paid for chartered jets, not schools.

by Jon Krakauer 2011

3.72

12k+ ratings

🔍 Investigative Journalism 🦸 Manufactured Heroism 📺 Media Manipulation

Kleptopia

by Tom Burgis • 2020

Soviet collapse privatized a theft machine stretching from Kazakh mines to the White House.

3.80

4k+

🕵️ Investigative Journalism 🏝️ Offshore Finance 🪆 Post-Soviet Oligarchs

Kleptopia 87%

Soviet collapse privatized a theft machine stretching from Kazakh mines to the White House.

by Tom Burgis 2020

3.80

4k+ ratings

🕵️ Investigative Journalism 🏝️ Offshore Finance 🪆 Post-Soviet Oligarchs

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